


What future?

by GRIMA



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:38:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8802982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GRIMA/pseuds/GRIMA
Summary: Robin knows Grima's truth and speaks about it.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sarai377](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarai377/gifts).



> I thought and then I wanted to be Grima for a minute. Possible part 2 with a (possible) happy end.  
> Dedicated to my friend Sarai377 who is great at convincing me to pick up writing again.
> 
> Sorry for any typos and trashy formatting, I'm half dead atm haha

“You’ve got everything wrong,” he said, quietly and not looking at them from under his hood. They went silent, and he knew they turned to look at him.

“No, Robin. Please don’t speak those untruths ever again. Lucina is right—we are both right, and you know it.” Chrom’s voice was almost begging, a dry tone that was more of a whisper rather than his usual, strong words.

Robin said nothing for a few moments, basking in Lucina and Chrom’s full attention, their eyes glued to him – somehow, he knew Lucina wasn’t angry, she didn’t hate him anymore, but she pitied him, and that for some reason was an even worse feeling.

Eventually, Robin opened his mouth to speak again, his eyes still hidden beneath his loose hood that only recently started to look sinister to him, ever since his dreams began foreshadowing the inevitable reveal – the truth behind the mark on his right hand, the truth of his being Grima.

“You are wrong, though. You know it, but you are just trying to trick yourself. You are lying to yourself, Chrom. You both do…and I don’t understand what’s the point.”

“No, Robin.” Chrom turned around to face him, but didn’t take a single step, keeping the distance that bothered Robin more than it should. It was only fair, he guessed, given he didn’t even look at them while speaking. “We are not lying to ourselves. You are not Grima—and we can prevent everything that happened in the future.”

Lucina was silent, unlike her. Robin thought that it was better – he didn’t need to listen to her and her father’s naïve, heroic talks. He could get straight to the point, finally open their eyes, brutally but honestly and thoroughly.

“Future? What future? There is no future, Chrom. And I don’t mean that the world is ending – no, it’s not as simple.” Finally, the tactician’s head tilted up a little, with new, agitated energy that threw the hood up a bit and it came back down, bouncing lightly above Robin’s forehead. His eyes were shining in the dimmed candle light, surrounded by soft shadow of the cowl.

He stared at Chrom, watching as the prince’s attention perks up even more, ready to hear him, again and again, even though Chrom had already heard his dark thoughts multiple times over the past few days. He was ready to listen to him anytime – no matter when, no matter about what, he was always listening.

But this time Robin knew it was different. It wouldn’t be just his usual talk of anxiety and self-hatred. He was going to speak truth – to speak Grima’s truth.

“Lucina, do you really think it’s so easy? That there’s no hidden flaw of Naga’s plan? She _lied_ to you. There’s no future, and you can’t reach the past. This here, it’s not your world. It’s another world, only similar to yours,” he started, his sight refusing to focus on Lucina’s face, but from this distance he could see her staring at him wide eyed, one hand gripping the leather belt crossing her chest.

“Do you think that the Chrom from your world will come back to life if you kill Grima here? If you kill both Grimas? He won’t. Your world is still in ruins, crawling with Risen, with the only difference being that you have managed to drive Grima away from there—and that’s the only success. You have ridden your world of Grima—you’ve reached your goal. But you are now here, with him, and with me. Even if you the Grima of your world, and the Grima of this world… If you kill me. It won’t change anything. Nothing will change in your world if you keep the Shepherds alive now. If you slay Grima. Your world was freed from the dragon clutches… But it will now recover slowly for centuries, maybe, and it won’t magically come back to life. Your future isn’t connected to our past, Lucina… You were sent here only to save your life and sanity, because Naga loves people, and you were the last able group. You were sent here because Naga wants to keep you sheltered, like her children… And she let you believe in this plan of slaying Grima and saving your world to trick you and give you purpose to keep living.”

Words were pouring from his mouth, and while usually he would bite his tongue at least twice before speaking half of them, he couldn’t stop now. Somehow he knew it was true, and that terrible truth hurt him from the inside—he couldn’t keep it in any longer, he needed to share it, to warn Lucina and Chrom, to tell them that everything was lost, to remind them that he was one of the two Grimas that need to be slain if they truly want to save the world.

This world.

Lucina’s eyes were filled with tears she refused to shed, her cheeks red and lips pressed in a tight line, the corners of her mouth turning slightly downward. She was still unnervingly silent, just as Chrom, but Robin could sense it through his skin, that Chrom was about to snap, or at least start denying everything Robin had said, with his own words.

“Didn’t you hear him? _You may have altered the course of desitny, but not its destination_. He said that. It’s true. No matter what we do, the result will be the same…with small, insignificant changes, like the the time of the year when it all comes to an end. Perhaps this world’s future isn’t written the same way, Lucina. Perhaps Naga knew that Grima will cease to exist here, and that you will be able to live here, in a place without ruins and graves everywhere. Maybe we… I mean you, don’t even need to do anything to remove Grima from your lives.”

“Why do you speak like _him_ , Robin?” Chrom asked slowly, hissed almost, a strange tone that Robin couldn’t identify—was it anger? Hatred? Sadness?

“Why do you believe him, why do you join him in those horrible prophecies? Why do you accept him, and why do you refuse to stay with us—with me, in what you see as a beautiful lie?”

Robin held Chrom’s gaze for a few breaths long moment, the night breeze gently swaying the thick fabric of the tent’s walls around them.

Suddenly, he wanted to take everything back and wrap his arms around the prince, but that need was gone a few seconds later, and he felt ready to spit more horrible words.

“Perhaps because I _am_ him.”

The moment he spoke, he realized how wrong it sounded. He was Grima and it was a fact, but Chrom had asked a very important question—why was he accepting him? Robin found himself coming to terms with his destiny, with his role as the dragon god and world destroyer. Was that what he really wanted to do? Did he really want to accept Grima in this way? Was he opening his heart to him, like Grima had told him to do a few hours ago?

Yes, and no. The answer was so obvious, and so complicated at once. He didn’t want to be Grima—but he was, and he had to be aware of it. Awareness meant acceptation, acceptation meant Grima’s influence. Grima’s influence meant losing his humanity… And that in turn meant losing friends, family, everything.

He didn’t want to be hated by Chrom, or anyone in the Shepherds—he knew it, but he didn’t feel bothered by the possibility, which terrified him.

His words were words of despair—not just acceptance, he realized. He wasn’t eager to become Grima, but he wasn’t eager to fight him either.

He was just afraid. Fear made him want to withdraw, preferably with everyone at his side. He could understand why Naga had made it possible for Lucina and the rest of the children.

Suddenly there was a gloved hand on his face, thumb digging into his right cheek and other fingers into the left. From the corner of his eye Robin saw Lucina turning and leaving the tent with a small sniffle she’s been holding back for too long, and he was left alone with Chrom, bits of fury noticeable in his hold.

Chrom said nothing, didn’t even look at Robin to glare at him. The Plegian’s cowl was pushed back, and then Chrom tried to speak, to say anything, but he had to give up, and he only pressed the side of his head against Robin’s. He let go of Robin’s face, and his arms weakly wrapped around the tactician’s torso, asking all the questions, speaking all the words and pleas through touch.

Robin couldn’t find an answer to all this—but he wanted to apologize, and beg for help, realizing how strangled by Grima’s hold on his core he felt.

He was unable to form it into words, though.


End file.
